2007 News Story04/16/2007Cabinet welcomes King Abdullah’s policy address to the Shura Council

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today.

The King opened the meeting by briefing the Cabinet on his contacts and consultations with world leaders and their envoys. He noted his meeting with the president of Turkmenistan, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov, and the Kingdom’s interest in friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan.

The Cabinet then expressed appreciation for King Abdullah’s April 14 policy address to the Shura (Consultative) Council. It lauded the King’s strategic vision, commitment to Islam and its principles, as well as emphasis on equality for citizens, and urged all government officials to embody the ideals laid out in the King’s speech.

A number of decisions were issued today, including a draft agreement on air transport services with Japan; a draft protocol for security and counterterrorism cooperation between Iraq and its neighbors, as agreed in Jeddah on September 18, 2006; a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on civil defense cooperation with Jordan; a MoU on political consultation with Japan; a draft MoU on a strategic partnership between the Saudi Red Crescent Society and the UN High Commission for Refugee Affairs; and the reinstatement of a cooperation agreement on technical education and vocational training with Germany.

Turning to domestic issues, the Cabinet reviewed progress in the implementation of 818 development projects sponsored by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, including flood runoff and the construction of intercity roads.

Finally, the Cabinet approved a number of appointments. They include Ali bin Hassan Jaafar as Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Wohaibi as Director-General of the legal department at the Ministry of Finance; Suleiman bin Wa’il Al-Yahya as Director-General of Public Relations at the Ministry of Finance; and Dr. Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al-Dahsh as legal consultant at the Ministry of Justice.